The Female Heir
by AzulTheBlueDragon
Summary: AU(Female Lelouch) Luluko is the heir to the throne. Though, many nobles doubt her abilities to run an empire. To show them her worth, she enters Ashford Academy, an all boys school that all the previous emperors have been to though, it comes with costs. Luluko has to leave Nunnally and her hair behind. Then, she gets stuck with Gino and Suzaku. How will she survive?
1. Chapter 1

Luluko starred in the bathroom mirror at her long raven hair that flowed down to her waist. It was the one feature she loved the most. Her hair was what set her apart from the other princesses and princes. Out of all disgusting offspring, she was the only one that had dark black hair. Not to mention, who had take her father's violet eyes. With beautiful straight hair like her mother's and gleaming purple eyes like her father's, Luluko was absolutely beautiful (not that she had any intentions to use her looks for marriage). With just her dazzling appearance, the princess was definitely a candidate for the throne.

All of the heirs before her went to Ashford Academy, an all boys school, and like hell she was going to back down from this. After openly being named the crown princess and first in line to the throne by Charles after her victory in the EU, Luluko noticed a couple things she still had to do. Every former ruler (including her father), had been to Ashford-the best all boys college in the world. There were many people already doubting her abilities, and pushing for Schneizel instead. Just because she was a female. So, she had her mindset of taking twice as many courses and her older brother had and earning higher marks. That'll shut them up.

Loosely grasping the scissors, she gazed at her hair in the mirror once more. She toyed with a collection of strands, bringing the open blades nearer. She sighed and set the scissors down on the sink in front of her. No. It was too hard. Luluko couldn't muster up the courage to destroy something so beautiful and important to her. She might as well carve out her freaking eyes. Yes. She might be everything that a regular girl wasn't, like a military commander, chess obsessed, and more into books than dresses or petty outfits, but her hair was something different. It connected her to Marianne, her dead mother. It was her last bit of the woman who raised her before being gunned down by terrorists.

Gazing past the door-frame, and she called for Sayoko knowing that she couldn't do the deed herself. The maid appeared shortly afterwards, glanced at the idle scissors and understood the predicament quickly. The princess was thankful that she didn't have to explain everything, because it was very likely that the words wouldn't leave her mouth. She followed Luluko into the tiled bathroom, where Luluko gently placed the scissors into Sayoko's hand before moving in front of the sink. Anyone with eyes could tell that the silence was due to her unnatural caring for her hair.

"How short?" Sayoko asked, running Luluko's hair through her fingers. The princess cringed and frowned. It was happening. Panic rose in her chest and she tried to force out the words. Speaking honestly, if she tried, it would be very easy for her to mask her emotions. Though, it was pointless for her to hide. Sayako had been with the young princess since the moment her mother died. Six years and her masks were like glass to the maid. Plus, if there was anyone Luluko could trust with her life. It would be her. "Mistress. It'll grow back quickly."

" Yes. I know. Short enough to look like a male's." She mumbled back with her eyes glued onto the mirror. It had to happen. Like Sayako said, it would grow back right? Luluko released a long sigh, in her entire lifetime, she had only cut her hair once. Years and years of trimming and caring for her beautiful hair was being wasted in a matter of minutes. But there was no choice, to prove her worth to the world. Luluko vi Britannia was going to cut her hair and enter the all boys school just like the 98 rulers before her. Then when she was out of the horrid college with higher marks than Schneizel could have ever dreamed of, Luluko was going to grow her hair to the freaking floor.

"As you wish." And thus, the horrid process began.

Sayoko placed Luluko's dark hair between the reflective blades. Luluko grimaced as the snipping sound pricked her ears. She clenched her eyelids shut, struggling to keep herself from snatching the scissors away from Sayoko and screaming for her to stop. Even if she demanded the process to be halted, the damage was already being dealt. Pieces of hair descended to the floor with every snip. If one looked down, it would look like a puddle of black hair covering their feet. One eye peered at the mirror, watching Sayoko destroy her beautiful hair. Previously waist-length, each cut brought the ends closer to her head and closer to looking like a male.

As Sayoko snipped away the last few long strands, Luluko reluctantly opened her other eye. The cold blades brushed against her ear as Sayoko began to even the strands out. It was difficult to believe that in a span of minutes, her beauty had been diminished. "Donate the hair to a cancer foundation please. If I can't have it, then some poor child deserves it. It would be a shame to see it go to waste." The cold persona appeared quickly, as she glanced at the mirror again. Horror filled her eyes, but she refused to let the disappointment show. "Sayako. Enroll me immediately as Lelouch Lamperouge. I've already told Rueben about my arrival, and now the official papers need to be sent before I leave for school Monday."

* * *

Luluko dashed down the palace halls ignoring the maids asking her to stop for her own safety. She needed to find Nunnally. Since Luluko lived with her father in the grand palace as the heir, Nunnally resided in a different location. At first, she refused it over and over again before realizing that there was no point. If the emperor wanted something, he got it. Her dear sister was now a three hour drive away from her, but luckily for Luluko, her father allowed the servants and maid for Nunnally to be hand picked up her. She had transferred her best staff to serve and protect her. There was no way that she could leave something so important to her with strangers that she didn't capture the loyalty of yet. Because of this, Luluko would visit Nunnally once a week, though they called and texted each other for hours on end sometimes. She dashed into Nunnally's room and jumped onto her bed next to her.

"Nunnally! I can't believe I'm gonna have to leave you soon. Promise me you'll stay safe, don't talk to strangers, listen to Sayako, stay away from our brothers and sisters, call and write letters, continue your studies, practice piano and your singing, go to bed on time, brush your teeth, eat lots of food, and-" She rambled off quickly and listed everything that came to her head that Nunnally needed to do. It would be four months. Four months after this until she could be with her precious beautiful sister again. Her eyes filled with sadness at the simple thought. It was Saturday, only one day left until she had to leave for school. At least the faster she pushed herself to high marks, the faster Luluko could return to her beloved sister.

"Sister! I'm not a child anymore. I know all that stuff. You need to stay safe and protect yourself. Okay? Don't fall in love with a boy and forget about me!" That beautiful voice. That clear, strong voice that could lead the princess out of anything. Nunnally. The one bright light in her own cold struggling life. She took her sister's hands in her own before smiling at the warm touch. Indeed, as long it was for Nunnally, Luluko was positive that she could do anything.

"W-what?! Nunnally, never in a millions years would I leave you for one of those pathetic, disgusting, vile, rude, annoying, idiots!" No. There was no way that a boy would cause her to forget Nunnally, in fact she didn't even plan to fall in love. A lover would distract her from what was really important, and then only cause her trouble when they the relationship ended. Besides, she was enrolling as a regular boy among boys. What could possibly happen between her and someone else? Plus, boys were so stupid. They never looked at the heart of a girl. It was always for their title or for their appearance. That was the definition of shallow.

"Awww… Thank you, but you don't always need to have me holding you back. I want you to enjoy yourself." There she goes again. Nunnally giving to everyone but herself. Caring for everyone's feelings but her own. So innocent and sweet, just like a flower in the war field. Luluko would never betray that trust that her sister gave her. She wrapped her Nunnally into a tight hug.

"I enjoy myself when I'm with you Nun-nun. I'll only be gone until winter break. Plus, I'll write lots and lots and lots of letters. Euphy and Cornelia will keep you company until then as well!" There were only a couple people she trusted to love Nunnally. Cornelia wouldn't bother Nunnally because she reminded her of Euphemia. And Euphemia was Euphemia. She couldn't be a killer or harmful towards anyone even if she tried. As for the letters and emails, Luluko had it all planned out. One email in the morning, and then a letter at night. Everyday. Even if she couldn't hear Nunnally's voice at least she could get replies and communicate in that way..

"I know sister. What about your hair? I remember you telling me about you cutting it… Does it look like a boy's now?" That comment hit her like a rock to her heart. Ohhh… Her beautiful hair. Luluko unwrapped an arm to touch the hair before sighing and smiling. Nunnally always remembered everything that she ever said to her. For example, she told her sister that she was going to cut her hair for school a month ago and she still remembered. It was just another thing Luluko loved about her sweet sister. The way Nunnally protected her in Luluko's worse times. Physically, the princess would always try to keep her sister from harm and in return, the younger sibling smiled when Luluko needed it most.

"... Yeah. It does… I really liked my long hair though, it's going to be a huge adjustment." No matter how many times Luluko instinctively went to flip her hair over her shoulder, move the strands out of her face, or simply toy with them out of boredom, her hair would still be gone. Her beautiful hair. Gone. Annoyance flickered to her face before she released another sigh. Oh well. Just as Sayako said, it would hopefully grow back.

"May I feel it?" Luluko moved from the bed to kneel on the floor facing the wall so Nunnally could reach it. She sighed lightly. Strike huge adjustment, it was almost like the end of the world to her.

"Of course, but don't pull!" Luluko lowered her head and gave Nunally a moment to search with her hands. Luluko gently guided Nunnally's hands to cup the back of her head, stroking the trimmed strands. She turned to see her little sister smiling brightly. Just another difference between the rest of her siblings and Nunnally. When she sent a picture of her hair to Clovis and Cornelia, they quickly texted back jokes of how ugly it looked clearly not sensing that this was a moment of weakness for the young princess in need of comfort. The of course, when she texted Euphemia the picture the pink-haired princess only gave compliments and best of wishes. Damn Cornelia and Clovis. Those asses.

"I guess my big sister is my big brother now right?" Luluko pushed herself off the ground and smiled happily towards Nunnally. In the worst moments, her sister could clear the mood so easily. She resumed her old place by her sister's side took her warm hand in her own again.

Luluko lowered her voice to imitate a male's, "Oh Yes. I'm a male and I like to exercise to grow muscles!" She never joked like that with her other siblings. All they ever saw was her cold unmoving mask that seemed it had lost all human emotions, but this was different. This was a smile and laughter that was only reserved for Nunnally. Because only Nunnally deserved it.

The pair laughed and continued their conversation like that for the rest of the day. For it would be the last that Luluko would be able to spend with Nunnally until break.

* * *

"Here we are your highness." She looked out the window and smiled lightly. In front of the school was a beautiful garden with flowers of all kinds, plus a lake with a fountain the in the middle. The school itself was a beautiful golden white color and wrapped around the outside. Luluko look from the window to her guide and located where the dorms were quickly. Room 55 at the end of the fourth hall. It should be very quiet there so she could study without idiots bothering her. Looking back outside, she observed all the places with little to no people that she could use to study. There were a couple benches and a seat by the pond.

"Hmmm… I'm not royalty at this school. I'm simply Lelouch Lamperouge, the scholarship student." She mumbled as she glanced at her schedule and books, checking over them again. "Could you bring my bags to room… 55?" She asked as she left the car to travel there by foot. Most students were driven to their rooms, but she had to take the role of a poor scholarship student. Luluko wore the traditional black and gold uniform that was required by them all. She glanced around at everyone else talking on the grass, clearly catching up from this year to last year. Oh well. She didn't have time for the thing call 'socializing'. It was more of a 'let me gain your loyalty so you'll obey me when I become empress instead of Schneizel' thing. Of course, coming to school with all these nobles will prove very useful. Hopefully.

She walked to the dorms and entered the left branch before heading to the last room on the left. The halls were covered with dark velvet rug and paintings of the former headmasters. There were no windows, instead there was only the dim light of the lamps standing again the dark wooden wall. Dorms were to the right, while a servants room for them was to the left. How arrogant. The pathetic nobles couldn't even go to school without bring their personal servants. There were two voices coming from the inside her assigned room, so it could be assumed that both of her roommates were already moved in. When she opened the door, Luluko realized that it was very possible that because of these two idiots there might be an A on her report card.

Sliding her card in the scanner she entered to see two of the beds completely destroyed with books and papers scatter everywhere. Luluko stood in shock as they slowly turned to him with a smile on their faces, "Hey-o! Looks like we've gotten our roommate. Oh~ and its the pretty boy Lulu! Welcome! I'm Gino Weinberg and this Suzaku Kururugi! Pleasure to meet you." He then stuck out a hand happily. She wasn't sure what bothered her most. The fact this guy named Gino had called her a pretty boy or that the room was an utter mess. But she had to be careful, it wouldn't be wise to burn many bridges. Especially when she was talking to the Knight of Three and heir to the noble family. Her eyes flickered with anger but she forced herself to also extend a hand.

"The pleasure is mine. I'm surprised that you knew my name, Sir Weinberg, the Knight of Three." She forced a light smile before continuing and ignoring that he had called her by that… term, "But I think you might have said it wrong, the name is Lelouch Lamperouge." Luluko shook hands with Suzaku and Gino before dropping down on her own bed to organize the things in her book bag. She pulled out three large text books that she had lugging around and slid them under the bed before calling her driver once more to ask about the rest of her trunks, completely ignoring the fact that Gino looked like he was about to explode if he didn't get to know her better. Instead, she ran a hand through her hair and rolled to turn away from them. Classes didn't start until tomorrow, so unfortunately for Luluko, she had to find something to do until then. Maybe shopping for food. She grinned lightly at the idea of not having to spend the day with these two idiots who were currently talking about sports. Ugh. Sports.

"Lelouch, do you play any sports?" Suzaku asked, clearly trying to get her to join the conversation. Luluko sighed as her ten minutes of silence between them had vanished. Oh well. She would join this conversation for a bit before heading out to stalk up on food to eat. There was no way she was eating that disgusting slop at school called a 'meal'. Pushing her tired arms up from the bed, the princess released a sigh and tried to think of something that wouldn't make her seem like a wuss, but didn't give anything away at the same time. She could pilot a Knightmare, she could shoot a gun, she could ride a horse, and she could dance. Not very manly. Luluko decided to skip the fact that dancing was a skill she was born with and that she could pilot a Knightmare to match an ace's skill.

"Hmm? I'm pretty good with a gun and I ride horses." She said flatly and watched Gino almost fall back laughing. She crossed her arms at that. "I'm not joking Gino. I can shoot a gun very well thank you." What? Was it not believable? Luluko was pretty good at firing and she inherited much of her mother's skill on the battlefield. She just couldn't do any physical work. Being a good pilot just needed you to type controls and flick buttons. Piloting wasn't very hard on the body. It annoyed her that he refused to believe her skill. Arrogant asshole. Maybe he would shut his trap if he realized that she was actually the heir.

He raised his hands in a defensive stance after controllings his laughter, "I just thought it was funny that a nerd like you would ever think about touching a weapon, Mr. Honor Student. It's the first this place has had in years you know." Hm. So maybe they would take special interest in her. Just another way to form alliances between. "Besides with your girly arms and legs, who'd have ever thought?" Luluko gritted her teeth and frowned. He hit too close to the mark. Better to change the subject now, before they started joking about her being a girl. Having her cover blown on the first day would absolutly damage her reputation. So, she forced a smirk to take the place of the scowl.

"Oh? How interesting. If you truly believe that then maybe you can arrange for the three of us to practice our skills together, sir." She mocked, before pocketing her card and heading for the door. she was done with these idiots. It was almost noon and her driver said that luggage would be in her room at one. With this hour, Luluko planned to get herself something to eat, and maybe play a couple chess matches for extra money. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch to buy, since these meals are disgusting." With that she walked out and closed the door behind her. Luluko sighed and continued walking down the halls to search for a cheap restaurant that served Ramen. With the money that her father had given her, there wasn't an extra penny for clothes or other luxuries. In fact, she had spent most it on the twenty different textbooks she needed for all the classes she was taking. Hooray for gambling.

******AN**: Hey! It's Azul and Steampunk-Serenity . This is our collaboration together and I think we both like it. The basic idea behind this is that Luluko is the heir to the throne, but many people think that as a girl she's weak. To prove these ideas wrong, she heads into a all boy's school that emperors before her have been to. When she gets there, Luluko ends up having to share a room with Suzaku and Gino. Yeah. Life's gonna be fun for her. 

**Yeah I know about my old story The Black Princess. It was OOC and I liked this idea better, plus I gotta do it with a friend. So, we'll continue this. M'kay? **

**Follow and leave a review! Got any ideas for this so far? **


	2. Chapter 2

Luluko frowned at the skyscraper before her, apparently this was where the 'Black King' played chess. She glanced down at her pocket where a wad of thirty one hundred bills snug in her pocket. It was her money from her father for the month. For some reason, the man thought that she should also go through the hardships of a money crises. Though Schneizel certainly wasn't limited on the amount he could spend when he was at school. The princess had already calculated the amount of money necessary for her to live, and it certainly wasn't enough. Just mailing a letter everyday needed two dollars, then new clothes, textbooks, general necessities, and three meals a day. Counting everything, she needed at least five thousands dollars per month. Her father didn't say anything about earning the cash herself, so here she was. At the foot of a giant casino.

Taking a slow breath to hide her unease, she stepped into the place. Instantly, the smell of sex, alcohol, and sweat entered her nose. Dim lights lid the rooms and red carpet covered the floor. Cards and chips were stacked to the fill on tables by men and women chatting away. Drunks limped throughout the place, while nobles laughed at gambling games. Poor elevens girls wore extremely revealing clothes, and the males waited on filthy rich couples. The worse was a large stadium as the middle attraction, two brothers were being forced to fight until exhaustion. She made a mental note to tell Sayako to send a letter in her name to shut things like this down. Family was being pitted against each other for the amusement and profit of these monsters in a person's body. Luluko sneered at them all. Basing victory on luck was stupid, and naive. To her, chess wasn't a gambling game, it was still hard earned money.

Her feet slowly dragged up the steps as she forced herself to ignore the horrible smell and head towards her final destination. Absolutely horrid. She entered a dark a hallway with only one lamp giving her barely enough light to see three feet in front of herself. Trying to remember the directions she found online, she turned right to come face to face to a door. Lifting a hand, Luluko knocked three times on the door and stepped in once it was opened. She smiled at the chessboard before allowing her eyes to look at the man she was playing. A fat noble, greasy, with long blonde hair. Disgusting. Slowly letting herself taking a seat in the armchair opposite to him,she smiled. It was hard to not let the discontent show. "Hello Mr. Black King. My name is L.L." Hm. The man was allowing her to play white. How interesting, but she didn't need it. After all, she was the Black Princess of Britannia. Not that he knew, to the noble she was simply a school boy.

"Oh? A child? Do you know who I am? Are you sure you still want to play?" She watched as he leaned forward smirking at her. He reeked of arrogance, just like any other pathetic nobleman. To think that just because she was younger that he would be victorious? The world does not work like that. Even if the chess match would be difficult, the crown princess never backed out of anything. Ever. And she never lost. Plus, today she had a greater motive. Survival was above everything, minus Nunnally. Without this cash, it was very likely she would have to ask Reuben Ashford for money. He would gladly give it to her, since the Ashfords were a supporter of the vi Britannia line, but it didn't feel right. Luluko hated being in debt to anyone, even a close friend.

"Yes. I brought three thousand dollars. Shall we begin?" The match ended as a quick swift win for Luluko. Her few turns consisted of confidently slamming the chess pieces into their winning positions. Each strategic move had brought her closer to her ensured victory. "Checkmate. My three grand." Grabbing the metal case of money sitting in the corner of the room, she opened it to confirm the amount. Nobles were often known for their poor sportsmanship. "It was fun." She gave him a smirk before leaving the room to let the 'Black King' ponder with his mouth open of how he lost to a sixteen year old.

It was almost five in the afternoon by the time she finished, thanks to the talking and the amount of time it took to find his room and the tower. Glancing around at the stores, she went to buy groceries. It was a task she hadn't had much experience in. Her meals had usually been prepared by chefs. Those chefs were the ones in charge of this mundane activity. The bright packaging constantly distracted her as she scoured the aisles. They were products she'd never dreamed of-probably because they weren't allowed when she resided with her father. Now, it was her current budget holding her back. She would do what she had to survive, and Luluko had read one or two books that talked about cooking.

She headed back with three bags of groceries. Buying them had taken $35 from her recent gambling win. One bag filled with drinks and juices that she enjoyed, one with fresh fruit, and the last one contained snacks, plus vegetables that seemed easy to prepare into a dish. The white plastic bags felt as heavy as boulders for the physically unfit girl. Not that Luluko would ever admit it to anyone, but it felt torture carrying these three bags across road after road. To reach Babylon Tower and the small Japanese shop, it was more or less three miles of distance she had to cover. Halfway through, she had already set the bags on the ground to pant and catch her breath. Freaking exercise. Next time, she would drag Suzaku or Gino along to help her with these things.

Upon finally-finally!-reaching her dorm, Luluko threw open the door to Suzaku and Gino playing video games on the her bed. Gino was propped against her pillow and backboard and Suzaku was laying down on his stomach with his elbows propping him up to stare at the screen. "Welcome back, princess," Gino greeted, casting her a side glance before returning to the video game. "Suzaku! You come back here right now." The noise of furious clicking filled the room as Luluko seethed with the bags still in her arms. Dropping them down by the mini-fridge, she clenched her fist together to refrain from murdering them both on the spot. The TV roared with the sound of their cars racing back and forth struggling for the lead. A gaming device of some kind that she couldn't recognize was hooked up by wires of all kinds. She wondered which one she had to pull to destroy the thing completely.

"Get your filthy selves off my bed. Now." Suzaku mumbled something about it being Gino's fault before moving to the floor. As for the Knight of Three, he simply sent her a teasing glance and grinned.

"Are you gonna shoot me with that aim of yours if I don't?" He smirked and refused to move. Luluko narrowed her eyes at him and simply sighed before dashing to the game console and turning it off. For dramatic effect, she also ripped out a couple extra cords and threw them onto Gino's bed to the far left. This was why she hated boys. They were always so arrogant and rude. This was her bed! It didn't matter her position or his position, this was her's so the freaking Knight needed to move his butt off. "Don't be such a party pooper. We have another controller." He lifted it and smiled again. She scowled and pulled out more cords before throwing them onto the floor. They were making her pure, white, clean bed, dirty and filthy. "Okay, okay, okay! No need to throw a fit. I'm going. I'm going." He raised his hands in a surrendering motion before rolling off the bed and sitting besides Suzaku. "I'll plug the cords back…" Gino grumbled and pushed himself up.

She sent him a smirk before brushing off her sheets, and sorted through her new groceries. The dorms, being for upperclassmen, were like hotels. Each one had a flat screen TV, three mini-fridges, a luxurious bathroom, nightstands that had multiple drawers, a closet for the each of them, and queen sized beds. The rugs were a dark red, and the curtains that hung match as well. Hanging from the wall was a black seventy inch television that seemed like it cost thousands of dollars. When you entered the bathroom, everything was snow white, plus gold edges on the cabinets and faucet handles. Then next to the shower area was a place for a jacuzzi. Huge walk in closets for the each of them were placed in the entrance. All the students only wore school uniforms to school, so Luluko couldn't comprehend why they had a small room to hold all their clothes. Truly, this dorm had everything that a regular boy could have wanted. Minus girls.

The grocery bags crinkled annoyingly as she looked through them. She organized the products, placing them in either her mini-fridge or stacking them beside it. Two drinks went inside, two outside. The bananas she bought stayed outside, while all the other fruit was stuffed inside. As for the greens, she pushed them inside in front of the fruit. The last item she bought was snacks. Never in a million years would she ever think that this kind of food would go down her throat. Yet, here she was with chips, Pocky, a couple bags of dried fruit, and oreos. Luluko placed them under her bed with caution because she predicted her hard earned food being taken by a man named Gino. The plastic shopping bags were put in one of the bathroom cabinets in case they would be needed for lining the trashbin later on.

Once the task of sorting through the groceries was done, Luluko placed her thick textbooks on the nightstand beside her bed. She sat on the edge of the mattress with one of the heavy books in her lap and began to read. It was vital that she gained the highest score out of the students in the grade. Schneizel had done it, and so must she. Back in the homeland, she had discovered that her math, chemistry, english, and history were all senior level. There was only a couple things left for her to master, study of Knightmares, biology, and physics. If she managed to finish everything early, then starting her work on connections with the noble children would be simple. A win-win. There was only one thing she miscalculated, Suzaku and Gino. Her oh-so-amazing roommates.

She felt a pair of eyes lock onto her, before the shifting of her mattress. "Off Kururugi. Now." Luluko snapped in a cold voice, but never let her eyes leave from the book explaining every little function and piece of a Knightmare. Honestly, she had no time for these idiots. Using Gino to her advantage would be easy, but this Suzaku figure hadn't shown her that he was worth anything. So for now, they were both thorns in her plan to secure the throne for herself. The one thing that gave her satisfaction was thinking of how it would play out when they discovered who she really was. The scene would be very interesting to watch. Or just seeing how the rest of the school sees her.

"Sorry Lelouch! I just wanted to see what you were doing. School doesn't start until tomorrow, besides, I doubt you'll do bad. Why are you studying so hard?" Her eyes flickered up to meet his with anger and frustration. When someone talks to you in a cold tone, doesn't that mean 'get the hell away from me'? Or were these two boys too brain dead to understand that. Luluko saw Suzaku flinched back before nervously stuttering, "I-if you're busy… I didn't mean to bother you. I just sorta wanted to get to know you better. I mean, I don't want to be stuck in the same dorm with someone that hates me." He chuckled nervously as Luluko took in a deep breath and set the book aside. She could study when it got late and these two went to bed.

"As an honor student, I have to work for my tuition. My parents died when Britannia invaded Japan, from that moment I had to learn to fend for myself. There was no one to lean on but myself. I work hard for my sister. She's… crippled." Luluko allowed sadness to brim her eyes, "I got into his school because of my stellar grades. Since I was a small child, I tried to do my best in school, so when I turn seventeen, Ashford offered me this. Though, in a flash it could disappear. An honor student has to be in the top five students out of the grade, or their scholarship is taken away." Her eyes flickered away. "I have to do this for my sister. I have to be able to meet important people here so I can make money for her." It was partly true, Nunnally was important to her. No. Nunnally was her life, and her mother was dead. The age was a slight lie, but she would be seventeen soon enough. It was close-ish. Luluko released a heavy sigh before glancing at Gino who decided to listen in. "I worked hard for this spot, and I don't ever plan to give it up."

She saw the two boys stunned into silence. Of course, they probably knew pain and suffering, but her story was horrible. It could be assumed that both Kururugi and Weinberg were here for the Knight program that Ashford offered. This college, trained Knights to serve their masters as well as offering a program with Knightmare training and other options. Any Knight who wanted a bright future would come here, and her father made sure that all the younger Knights of the Round went as well. So was Suzaku joining them? He was Japanese or an Eleven. The boy had to be absolutely amazing and have gained a great achievement to be even considered for it. Her eyes returned to Suzaku, as she decided that she would search up this name to study the interesting green eyed boy later.

"Lelouch. I'm sorry for that… I'll leave you to study now… I promise Gino or I won't disturb you again." Suzaku shot a look at Gino before offering her a sad smile and standing to leave. Luluko saw something in his eyes. _Pity._ He pitied her. He felt bad for her. He felt bad for her life. He felt that he should help her. This idiot… was feeling remorse for her. Pity meant weakness. By instinct, Luluko stood and grabbed Suzaku by the wrist. She forced herself to not yank him,but instead gently pulled him back. No. Way. Luluko vi Britannia was not weak and she refused to let these two morons look at her like that. Strenght. Pride. Power. The things that drove Britannia forward, she couldn't be empress if she couldn't hold that up.

"Wait. Suzaku… Gino… I don't want my past to change anything. I am a regular human being, and there are others who have had it worse. I don't need pity or worry from you. In fact, you shouldn't need to carry this burden on your shoulders. It's mine. These problems and mine. Believe me when I say it, I will make a life for my sister and I. So, please don't give me those sad eyes." She sighed before dropping back on her bed and continuing to read. Gino gave something like a 'No problemo, pretty boy' and returned to whatever he was doing. Suzaku nodded slowly, but the annoying look of pity didn't leave his damned green eyes. A couple minutes passed and it seemed everything had gone back to normal. The two boys talked about their classes while Luluko continued to read furiously and stuff the information inside her head.

The hours trickled by like water, and soon enough it was twelve a.m. Luluko had barely noticed when Suzaku and Gino to bed, instead she saw her watch flash the numbers before she almost dropped the book. It was important to sleep now. She couldn't fall asleep in class on the first day! What kind of a impression would that leave? Releasing a heavy sigh, she quickly ate two apples to satisfy her rumbling stomach. Feeling that it was wrong for her to change in front of boys, she stood to walk over to her closet and looked herself in before searching for pajamas. When Luluko returned from her chess match and her shopping she found that her trunks were already organized the way she liked them, plus the extra text books she needed were already placed at her bed side.

Finding clothes that completely cover every inch of her body wasn't hard, mostly because Luluko hated showing skin of any kind. She changed in the closet and hung her uniform before returning outside. Dropping down on the bed, she pulled the blankets over her body, only to realize that she needed to set an alarm. There was no way the princess would wake on time without one. Sleeping in was her life, she stayed up late to work and slept in, making sure to get her nine hours of sleep per day to keep her brain running. Ungracefully smashing the buttons to set the time, Luluko let out a long yawn before finally finishing. Falling back on the bed once more, she smiled as the fluffy pillows and covers surrounded her body. After a hard day's work of earning money and carrying groceries, this was heaven. Well. It was like that until the beeping sound of the alarm clock brought her back to reality.

**AN: WHOOP. CHAPTER TWO! So proud. All the proudness. This was so fun to write with my friend :3 you can expect a chapter every two weeks, or faster if we're in a good mood XD Leave a review and favorite? It fuels us to write! **


	3. Chapter 3

The harsh morning light from the windows poured into the dorm room as Gino's loud groan snatched her from the pleasant dreams of Nunnally. She shot up and took in a deep breath before sending a cold glare at the blonde man. Pushing herself up, she turned the alarm clock off and tried to run a head through her hair that was no longer there. It looked like she was smacking air, but the trio was too tired to notice. Slowly rising to her feet, Luluko padded over to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She stripped quickly and flicked on the shower to hot water. Stepping in, the magicient heat washed over her skin like a tidal wave. After a night of studying, and a day of shopping for groceries, this was perfection. It felt good to finally stop pretending that she was a male. Grabbing her shampoo, she dumped it into her hair before letting the water wash over her face and hair.

A loud pounding at the door snatched her from the heavenly day dream. Obviously one of those morons. Why couldn't they learn the meaning for privacy? She hadn't been in the shower for more than ten minutes and they were already rushing her? Damn them. "Lelouchhhhhhh! Stop prettifying your hair! There are no girls in the school for you to impress anyways." She was going to murder them. Releasing a long sigh, she ignored it and continued doing her hair. Conditioner, then shampoo, and conditioner again. Yup. That was how she always washed her hair, wrapping herself in a towel, she stepped out and stared into the bathroom mirror. Bubbles were no longer there, instead there was only a short cut of her once long hair. Drying her hair quickly, she slipped into the school uniform before glancing at a small red box she had placed there. The Imperial crest on the lid glistened in the light. Luluko reached for it and opened it to see her blue contacts. It wouldn't be hard for anyone to recognize her with regular purple eyes. Slowly placing them on, she smiled at her new self.

Luluko stepped out of the bathroom in full uniform to ready her books when, Suzaku stared at her for a second, noticing her interesting eye color. Points to him, he could use his eyes. Her reply was a simply shrug. The excuse for the eye color change had been circling in her head for days now. "I don't want glasses, and the store I went to ran out of clear contacts." Well that took care of that. Dropping down her bed to have a morning snack, she opened her book once more to read while munching an apple. Six in the morning was the time Gino's animal of a noise snatched her the dream world. School begun at seven-thirty and now it was only six-forty five. There was so much time to kill by reading, but no. Suzaku and Gino HAD to pull her into their random conversation that she didn't care about. Or so she thought.

"I heard some of the guys are heading over to Lilypond Academy to catch a peek of her highness Luluko vi Britannia. I think I heard Bismark talking about the emperor sending her there to study. Are you going to go with them?" Her cool calculating eyes looked up from the book with utter rage and hatred when she heard their conversation. She knew about that rumor and what her father had she to keep rumors away from her. Just that… It was disturbing for boys to want to see her. Gino was leaning against the wall with the same smile on his face as he engaged in conversation with Suzaku. "I think a couple of the noble children have met her before, and they say she's to die for… Though, personally, I've worked with her on a couple missions before I and can't say it's just good looks at speak out to me. The Crown Princess is smart, but cold at the same time. Kudos to the guy that breaks through her cold shell."

"I know her as well." Suzaku said in his usual happiness, "She was my commander during war with the EU, I've talked to her once, but I doubt she even knows my name. But I honestly think she's just like any other girl, but she's got higher expectations to live up to." They were discussing her. They were talking about her as if she wasn't five feet away from them. Well, it meant that they didn't see her as anyone else, but Lelouch Lamperouge and it also meant that other boys could be having the same conversation right now, but worse. She scowled at the thought, how immature. But at the current moment she was debating on whether to stop this conversation or just continue to ignore it. The choice was yanked away from her when Suzaku spoke again, "Hey Lelouch, I know you're listening. Voice your opinion on the princess. None of us-minus Gino-will arrest you." He gave her a small smile as Gino chuckled as well.

Luluko set the book down and thought. It would have to be in character… She narrowed her eyes at them before speaking, "I don't like the royal family in general. I understand that it's because of them Britannia has done so well, but I don't believe it's fair to have everything you've ever wanted because of your birth." She sighed and stood, "My personal opinion on her highness? I have absolutely, no idea. I've never met her before. As for the adventure the others are going on… I can't say you won't get beheaded if , it's the first day of school, the both of you should be studying and working on making a good impression." Her books were tucked under her arm as she joined them in conversation. How interesting, maybe she would get to know what regular people thought of her. It would be easier to win them over if she knew what they disliked about her and the empire. "But let's change the topic to something else. I don't really care much for romance, but what are you goals here? I've been curious to why two Knights are attending Ashford."

Suzaku spoke first, his eyes shining with light embarrassment from the compliment. "I'm not actually a Knight yet, being Japanese and all… I doubt anyone would want me. The reason I am at this school, is because I caught a terrorist in Area Nine." He looked at the ceiling, "That's also how I met Gino. That's about it." Luluko smiled lightly, it was goal for most regular citizens or numbers to try and gain a noble title. Hm. Suzaku seemed no different, but she knew that he had served as a subordinate before, his fighting skills were absolutely above normal. He could have easily became a knight if it wasn't for his nationality. But, what? It had been two years since she'd last seen him fight and Luluko couldn't say that the memory was very clear. Had he gotten better? Lost some skill? There was no way to tell, besides, it wasn't possible for Suzaku to become a Knight piloting a Sutherland. Her observations were interrupted by Gino elbowing his green eyed friend to get him to continue. "Oh. Yeah. The person I wanna serve under… It's probably never happen and I could bleed myself out before she'll notice me. But.. I want to serve under the Crown Princess." He sighed and gave Luluko a small smile from embarrassment.

The emotional mask broke for a second, shock flickered across her face before she returned to that usual frown-ish expression. "That's a noble goal. I think you'll do well. What about you Sir Weinberg? Any things you want to accomplish in this place?" So. Kururugi was aiming to be her Knight? Well depending on how he treated Lelouch here, she might give him that spark of hope or let his dreams crash down. His nationality didn't bother her at all. Why should people be judged on how they were born? It sounds hypocritical for her to say that, but after leading victory after victory, Luluko was firmly sure that she deserved this position. Suzaku had worked for his position as well, and she honored that. The guy wasn't another spoiled noble. How amusing, another chess piece for her. If this continued, she would have more than enough people supporting her. Now it was Gino's turn. Starting with her two roommates wouldn't be a bad plan at all. Luluko's eyes met his and she smiled lightly.

"Goals? Well...His majesty told me that he wanted me to attend school and that it was required of all Knights of the Round. The programs for Knights should be quite outstanding." Luluko frowned lightly before letting him continue, "Personally, I don't think I really have a choice…I'll serve whoever the next emperor or empress is. Though, just like any other Knight, I want to become the Knight of One." That was normal. Luluko nodded her head in understanding. So if Gino didn't have a purpose, she would give him one. After all, once her father died, she planned to make changes to the empire of Britannia.

"Good goals as well. As for myself, I have absolutely, no idea. There seems to be no place for me… Even if I do manage to make a successful company, nobles and royalty will always be above me. I won't mind gaining a noble title from the Crown Princess. So… I guess if you do end up becoming her Knight, Kururugi, put in a good word for me. But really, all I want is for my sister to have happiness. Even if it means giving up my own." It was the truth, and Luluko couldn't act as well if everything she said were lies. She wanted Nunnally to be happy, above everything. She glared at Gino and Suzaku who continued to give her the pity look. It annoyed her to the end of the earth and back that they looked at her like a charity case. "Stop looking at me like I crawled out of the sewers. It's almost time for class to begin. Let's go."

Luluko brushed pasted the two of them and swiftly ended the conversation. Upon leaving the class A dorms, she sighed loudly and watched the two boys that shared a room with her head to the right of the school. The section that belonged to the Knights in training (or masters in Gino's and Suzaku's case). Ashford trained Knights as well as hosted regular students, which was quite unusual, but the programs exceeded very well. Classes for them ranged from Knightmare training to medical classes. The hundreds of students on the green grass either bared right or left. Every single one of them knew their positions and what they chose to do with their lives. Some were born to lead, while other took the roles of following. For Knights, instead of learning about math and history, their sole focus was to learn how to protect and destroy. In fact, many of the Knights of the Round came to this school to study. Thus, automatically making the academy popular everywhere.

Luluko found herself heading towards the right area as well. Thanks to her overly ambitious goals, she was taking classes of all kinds. Ugh. It was going involve a lot of walking to travel from class to class. First period for her was, 'Knightmare simulation, class A' slowly she followed the group of students towards the building. Each one of her peers were frowning at her in wonder, trying to discover why such a fragile looking boy was joining them for one of the most advance arts in the military. Each one of the others were taller, stronger, and over all buffer than she could ever be. Too bad she would crush them in battle. The princess had been piloting Knightmares since she was twelve. Four years of experience, and she was quite sure that Gino might even have a hard time beating her. They didn't really need a strong physical form to pilot. It was just a coincidence that the best pilots were also brilliant fighters as well. Hm. She was actually looking forward to all her class. After all, Luluko would do well in all of them.

The first thing she saw when she entered into the school were paintings. So many paintings. They hung all over the walls, portraying the famous Knights that graduated from Ashford that went on to work for royalty or famous nobles. With the pieces of artwork covering the walls, it seemed that truly anyone who accomplished anything was here. Humph. She'd better see her face up on the wall when she left from this school. Luluko made a mental note to tell Rueben that. The group continued on through the halls that were decorated with gold on the sides as well on the roof. One might have mistaken the school for a home of sort because of the all the decorations and expensive things on display. When they finally entered the halls for class, it looked like a different world. Each class took place in a gym instead of a classroom, and instead of desk there were weapons and dummies. Luluko's eyes flickered towards the fifth gym, which held the location of her first class. Glancing to the side of her, it seemed that Gino and Suzaku shared the class with her as well.

The class of twenty people all stood at attention in a straight line when their teacher finally appeared: Ms. Villetta Nu. Then bam. Just like that, Luluko knew that she hated the women. Those judging eyes swept down the line before stopping on her with disgust. After finishing examining each student, she returned to the front-center. "Class. Welcome to the beginning of your training with a knightmare. I'm sure most of you have piloted one before. As for the couple of you that haven't…" Their eyes locked, Luluko's artificial cold burning eyes stared met the Villetta's in a challenge. It only last for a second before she knew that this woman was going to screw with her now. "You'll all learn soon enough. For now, I would like to see your scores in combat first hand. When piloting a Knightmare, there are special uniforms that you must wear. They will be passed out once you receive your simulator number. Go there once I assign them to you, the person across from you will face you off in battle first. Lamperouge, one. Weinberg,two. Kururugi, three. Blackwood, four…" She continued as Luluko headed to machine she was assigned to before exchanging a look with Gino when they were both climbing up the ladders.

The uniforms were passed out in a matter of minutes, slipping into the simulator, she quickly changed in there. Other males seemed to have no problem with slipping into the uniform without a changing room. Like in hell she was doing that, even with other females there no way she could. Luluko valued her privacy more than showing off her abs to others. Sticking her head outside of the machine she glanced at the others changing before returning into her own cockpit. Everyone was almost done. It seemed that the class was going to start soon. Another minute or two passed before Ms. Villetta's face appeared on the screen. "Alright. Your scores will be show to the entire class on the board, so I suggest you do well if you don't want to look like an utter fool. These machines are exactly the same as the ones you will use in the military. There are little to no changes in the hardware. Communication lines will be open, begin on my count: Three. Two. One."

Luluko didn't plan to win. If she tried to aim for the top and succeeded it would make others that were more professional look bad. Thus, creating enemies that she didn't want. "Go easy on me, Sir Weinberg. I just took this class to try this out. Who knows? Maybe my destiny lies in being a Knight." She said through communications while scanning the landscape. They were in a virtual mountain biome. Snow covered the ground, making it hard to move quickly. Tall pine trees loomed over her machine, blocking any escape if she was cornered. It wasn't possible that she would be able to hold her own against Gino if the battle dragged out. There had to be something in this environment she could use against him. It would be possible to cause avalanche, that would do a good amount of damage if it hit him. If. Luluko hated leaving things up to chance.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by Gino's Knightmare appearing to the right of her. "No way pretty boy!" A loud swear was released from her mouth as she reacted. Dashing to the left, it was obvious that she needed to escape the circle of trees. The enemy was on her tail, as Luluko dodged as a slash-harken was shot towards her head. Growling, she circled around a tree and shot Gino in the leg. The attack did little-to-none damage. Luluko shot again aiming for his head, sadly, another slash-harken was shot at her leg slicing it half-way. "Dammit!" Luluko pushed her Knightmare to speed away, but with the injury, she was slowed by a great amount. Twist around she blindly shot her slash-harkens, one skimmed the other Knightmare's head while the one missed completely. Another trail of swears flowed from her mouth, as Gino laughed from the other side. Screw it all. Stopping at the last moment, she twist around to bash her fist into the center of the Knightmare. Needless to say, the screen for her went dark in the next moment or so.

Luluko exited with a scowl on her face. Ugh. Damn Sutherlands. If this was her personal Knightmare… She would have no problem at least hacking up Gino. Yet, for some reason when she exited, the blonde idiot smiled at her. "Not bad Lelouch. I thought you had me for a second there… Maybe I'll take you on in my personal forces. Stop looking so upset, you scored right under Suzaku. Eighty-nine percent isn't that far off from putting you as an Ace." Her eyes flickered back to the television attached to the wall that showed their class rankings. Gino pulled in first with an ninety-seven, while Suzaku snagged second with ninety-four. Then her name. Right after Knights from the military, it wasn't BAD. It just wasn't good to her. Luluko's highest score was ninety-six, which placed in league with the Aces. Not to mention, it challenged the Knights of the Round and completely cleaned out Cornelia. Of course, here, she was playing the role of a orphan teenage boy. It took some restrain to force out thankful words. If she wasn't a princess and truly some normal student, this would a chance of a lifetime. Serving almost directly under the emperor or empress was amazing to anyone.

With a light smile on her lips, Luluko answered with the same demeanor she always held. "Thank you. Though, I think in a Knightmare isn't where I belong. My sister doesn't do well with violence. A desk job probably suits me better." Gino slung an arm around her shoulder and said something happily that Luluko didn't bother caring about. Half of the things that person said she ignored without hesitation. Turning to watch the rest of the exit from their Knightmares, she glanced at their rank as well. Her eighty-nine went about unmatch, there were a couple close people that also ranged in the eighties, but Luluko's position did not change. It was quite obvious that she held experience of some kind. Luluko didn't particularly care about drawing attention to herself like this. If she excelled in any subject, there would be question on how a 'commoner' bested noble children.

After they changed from the piloting uniforms, the rest of the class involved the annoying female teacher rambling about the different parts of the war machine and how to use it. Each of the periods were an hour long, and the simulation took about thirty minutes. Luluko basically spent half an hour listening to things she was already well educated on. It took all her effort to stay awake and raised her hand occasionally to answer the questions Ms. Villetta threw at them. Eventually, her eyes returned to the television that held each of their scores. The highest being Gino's and the lowest being some kid named Rolo's. There weren't that many people she found useful, everyone's scores was almost poorly low. Most of them hit in the seventies, while three others found places in the eighties. Eh. They could be useful if they dragged their percentage to the nineties. "Mr. Lamperouge. Will you please answer my question and stop daydreaming about your score?" She snapped.

Luluko's allowed her eyes to travel lazily towards the direction of her voice. "Japan was the first country conquered using Knightmares. 2001 a.t.b." This was the fourth question she answered. Apparently that horrid teacher took upon herself to find a fault in her. Oh well. Sucks to be her, because the Crown Princesses was the definition of perfection (Minus anything that had to do with physical work). Her eyes returned to staring at the board, memorizing the names and faces that she could use in battle. The class continued without anything major happening, there were just more questions that Luluko knew that answer to. When the bell rang, she was the first one up and out the door. Finally. Finally. At first, she thought that class would have more to do with actual practice then lectures.

"Lelouch! I never knew you could pilot a Knightmare so well. Congrats on scoring third! Anyways, what do you have next? Gino has Britannian War History, while I have medical classes right now…" Suzaku ran up to once they were in the halls and immediately started conversation. Ugh. Why did these people like to talk so much? There was nothing to talk about. Yet somehow, someway, they created a freaking topic. How were their mouths not tired from all this? Instead of relieving her true thoughts, Luluko simply offered him a small smile. She was heading to that medical as well actually… Dammit. Another period with one of those two. At least… There was no way she was going to score under him in this. Never in a million years would she want to lose anything else to Suzaku Kururugi and Gino Weinberg. Sadly, it was going to happen whether she liked it or not.

AN: HERE'S ANOTHER ONE FOR YOU GUYS ^_^ Review,favorite, follow, tell your friends, tell your dog, tell your apple, and all that fun jazz. Thanks for reading.

Kudos to you guys who noticed the new character. Rolo shall appear later!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I just wanted to give you a heads up. This chapter is written from Suzaku's point of view.**

**A couple quick things. Suzaku believes Lelouch is Luluko, so he'll think of her as Lelouch. As for the height mentioning in this chapter, dear Suzaku is 176 cm and Luluko is 170. And let me add on from that, there will be differences between Luluko's personality one because of her past, and two because she is a different gender. Not being rude or anything, but boys and girls tend to have a couple differences. Nothing very major though. **

**OH. And Luluko has contacts on that make her eyes blue. There are a couple of you who think it's impossible to cross dress, I don't think it's that hard. If a girl cut off her hair and took other procedures, I think she could pass for a general boy.**

Suzaku watched as Lelouch was once again reading a textbook, while his computer lay to the right of him. His cool purple eyes flickered up to the computer just to type a few keys before returning to studying his book. He was lounged on his own bed frowning at a couple math problems like they were alive. As a Knight, he wasn't required to take high level math, but it was important that he have some sort of education. So here he was, seconds away from smashing his head against the wall because he didn't understand why the hell he needed to learn these things when there was a creation called "a computer" dammit. Nevermind just that. Why did he have to know this things when others specialized in this? It's not like he was ever going to be a leader of some kind. Maybe it was useful for Gino, but he was a number. Never in a million years would he ever reach a position others would respect. Even if he did, the world was just going to push upon him even harder. His goal to become the Crown Princess's Knight was good as dead. How was it even possible when she had billions of people to choose from? But he was getting off track here. Homework was waiting for him. Suzaku spent another ten minutes staring at the problems trying to guess where to begin. He was about to quit when Lelouch stood at his bedside smirking slightly. "Do you need help?"

"Yeah… I don't really understand any of this, since I fell asleep in class." Suzaku gave him a sheepish smile as Lelouch rolled his eyes. Thank god. Oh and math class was right after combat which was also second to last period. COME ON. Suzaku had been exhausted and the teacher was rambling. It was a miracle that she didn't notice his light snoring in the first place and that he woke up just when she was handing out homework. He moved over from his position on the bed to make some room for him. But somewhere, somehow, the soldier felt his cheeks heat up a bit when their hands touched lightly. Sparing a glance at Lelouch, he watched as the lean boy sat down at the edge of the bed. His soft hair fell just in front of his gleaming violet eyes perfectly. A furious blush crept over him as Lelouch picked up the papers with an amused smile.

"Hm. Give me your pencil." Before Suzaku could hand it to him, he felt it being swiftly snatched from his hand, but not before a second of contact. His skin was so smooth. So smooth and pale. Honestly, if he didn't know better and this wasn't an all boys school, Suzaku was easily assume that Lelouch was a girl. But girls wore dresses and other pretty things. Lelouch didn't. In fact, Gino had once asked if he had ever worn a dress before and Lelouch blew up on him. Literally, exploded. Back to the present. At the current time, Lelouch was dressed in a black t-shirt and white shorts. School had ended three hours ago, and most students do end up changing into something else. After all, it was burning hot outside. He was wearing a white t-shirt with his favorite foot team's logo on the front, plus dark blue jean shorts that went to his knees.

"It's just sort of hot in here. Let me turn on the air conditioning." Pushing himself up from the bed, Suzaku released a sigh. It was sometimes nice to see Lelouch being semi-nice instead of raising his walls against everyone. Suzaku just assumed that he had a hard past after telling him that story. Flipping the air conditioning on, he slowly headed back to the bed. He criss-crossed his legs after dropping down on the soft sheets. It was the first time that Suzaku had a place like this. Even after his deal with Lloyd and Cecile, he stayed in the military barracks which were much less comfortable than this. "Thanks by the way, Lelouch." His green eyes matched the raven haired boy's purple ones as he lifted them from the paper. It was only for a split second before Lelouch simply nodded and looked back at the paper. Suzaku gave him a bright smile that he completely missed, but it was there.

His instructions came swiftly and quickly. It seemed like the pencil danced on the paper with his handy work. Lelouch finished the problem in a matter of seconds and then asked him to do it. To his embarrassment, instead of watching the numbers be written, he had been observing Lelouch's delicate hand. After attempting and failing miserably, Lelouch groaned and walked him through it again, but this time much much slower. "Oh! I get it! Thanks a lot Lulu!" Lulu must be a major turn off for Lelouch because his eyes automatically hardened and he scowled slightly. Realizing this, Suzaku raised his hands defensively, "Whoa! I'm sorry Lelouch. I didn't mean it like that. But really thanks for the help. I owe you a favor?" Just like he regretted that calling him Lulu, he regretted that as well. Lelouch's face quickly switched into a smirk.

"Then how about you come with me to do some errands?" He regretted it. So bad. "It's nothing bad. Honor student? I don't really have tons of spare cash, so the principle let's me make my own food in the kitchen. I ran out of supplies." Oh. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. This meant that he would only have to carry around things right? Lelouch wasn't really a girl, so he wouldn't take hours right? Maybe he would still have time to watch a movie when he got back… Who was he kidding? No way. But Lelouch helped him with his homework and he had promised. Suzaku always tried his hardest to keep promises. Releasing a long sigh, he nodded slowly in agreement. He watched as Lelouch smiled lightly and walked to the door to slip on his sneakers before grabbing a small case. "Stop moping soldier. I'll treat you to dinner after."

He was just about to open his mouth and state how Lelouch just mentioned that he didn't have tons of money, whenthe darker haired boy was already out the door. Standing up from his place on the bed, he dashed over to the door to put on his shoes. "Lead the way." With that, the pair were off. They walked for about twenty minutes with little snippets of conversation. It didn't become more detailed than talks about the weather, and a couple times they chatted about politics. It was only when they were minutes away from the reaching their destination that Suzaku opened his mouth for a serious topic. "Don't you have anything against numbers? Other Britannia nobles would have sued the school for allowing me a place in… Yet you couldn't seem to care less. Why?"

Lelouch eyed him strangely and frowned. "Do you have two eyes? Do you have four limbs? Can you speak English? Are you a human being? I don't see what's different from you and the rest of that noble trash. For all I care, seeing someone who can speak two languages and pilot the seventh generation Knightmare is enough for you to earn my respect." He stopped and turned to lock eyes with him, "I believe that if you are given a position of nobility that you should use it to help others, and if you aren't blessed like that, work hard. Earn others respect no matter what race. Always try your best, always give your one hundred percent into anything you do. Maybe when I become a noble myself, I'll hire you Kururugi." Lelouch gave him the signature smirk that Suzaku swore that he had seen before. Somewhere… Was it on television? But still. Hearing those words from the short male meant the world to him. So there were people in the world that didn't see him as a 'filthy eleven monkey'. It was also in that moment that Suzaku wanted to form a never ending friendship with Lelouch.

"I… Thanks. Not a lot of people would say that. I don't even know why Gino had no problem for it. When I met you, I was super nervous.. But really Lelouch thanks. Those words mean a lot to me." Suzaku smiled as Lelouch continued to walk forwards towards a very high class apartment buildings. "W-wait. What are we doing here?" Lelouch's talking about his opinion on numbers completely distracted him from where they were walking. Was he planning that? No. He highly doubted it, Lelouch seemed to mean every word he said. But still! They were in front of some nobles or some rich guy's house and he was not alright with this. Lelouch said they were going to buy food, why the hell were they here? That… "This is not a place to go shopping Lelouch!"

"Hmmm…" The guy hummed, clearly amused, "I predicted that reaction from you. As you know, I have to earn my own money." There was one thought that popped into Suzaku's head. A highly inappropriate thought. Scanning his new friend from top to bottom he concluded that Lelouch was quite good looking for a male. He was lean, tall, but not too tall, and beautiful blue eyes… So he could see the appeal if the person was gay, but still! It was illegal to do that! Much less a… What? Seventeen year old? Was he eighteen? That was wayyy too young! He must have made a strange expression, because Lelouch gave him a look of confusion before choosing to ignore it. "I like playing chess. It's enjoyable… And gambling against over privileged, arrogant, nobles is a perfect way of keeping myself alive. Generally each trip gets me about two grand? It's enough to live off of for a week." Oh. Oh. Damn his teenage perverted mind. Lelouch wasn't like that. Not in a million years. A furious blush exploded onto his face. "Suzaku. Is something wrong?" Lelouch's voice snapped him back to the real world

"A-ah nothing! I just thought you… Nevermind…" The blush darkened as Lelouch shrugged it off and continued towards the tall, intimidating building. Suzaku watched the younger boy head straight for the door, talk to the person, and enter swiftly. Freaking Lelouch. He wasn't scared at all? UGH. People these days were so damn arrogant. Realizing that he was falling behind, he dashed to catch up. Passing through the door, he ran into the elevator in the last second. "Lelouch… There are other jobs better than gambling that you could do. I saw your skill with Knightmares and long ranged shooting. Why don't you join the military? I'm sure they'll accept someone as talented as you. Though…" He paused. There was only one thing. Lelouch was extremely out of shape. He remembered seeing the younger boy run across the campus, only to stop and catch his breath a couple seconds later. Literally a ten second run.

Automatically, Lelouch's eyes hardened fiercely."If you're insulting my athletic skill, Mr. I-fell-asleep-in-class-so-I was-going-to-fail-math, I don't think you of all people should be judging. I excel at different things than you. Instead of fighting directly, I prefer to be the one pulling the strings. I'll say this once. Do not look down on me because I am not as physically strong as you," Lelouch replied, clearly annoyed. Okay. Maybe he was pushing his boundaries. It was rude for him to say and not consider the other's thoughts. Of course, attacking his weakness is definitely going to cause him to be more sensitive.

"I didn't mean it like that." Yes, he did. "I'm sorry about that Lelouch." Suzaku was about to continue on correcting what he meant when the elevator pinged lightly, signaling their floor. The number twelve flashed in red as the metal doors slid open. The first thing that came to his mind was rich. Like any other high class apartment building, everything was decorated beautifully. Instead of having extremely lavish style halls, these took on the modern aspect. Across from them were glass panes that gave you a view of the entire city. Silver colored lamps hung from the roof, while the floor had been created with smooth, pure, marble. He watched as Lelouch smirked slightly before stepping out and turning right. The echoing sound of their shoes was the only thing to be heard. They walked past three doors. Upon the fourth, Lelouch pushed it open and stepped into the room without knocking. Once again, he noted just how rude and arrogant the blue eyed boy was.

"Shall we start right away? I have a place to be soon." Lelouch smiled slightly and dropped the case that he was holding into Suzaku's arms before walking forward and sitting at a chessboard with the noble. Two large, bulky body guards stood on either side of the opponent's chair. Each one was at least six feet, and weighed feet hundred pounds. If this got ugly… They would have major problems. Releasing a sigh, he refocused on the chess game at hand. Lelouch was playing black, he was surprised. It didn't seem like the other to put himself at a disadvantage of any kind. Though, he quickly saw why it truly had no effect on the game. Pieces danced on the the board before him, each one moved without hesitation. It was actually scary how absolutely amazing Lelouch was. Minutes ticked by quickly as black quickly overwhelmed white. Circling around the once proud white king, there was no escape. The game was decided the moment the first piece was moved. Twelve minutes, that's what it took for Lelouch to make his clean victory and earn himself three thousand grand. It was then that it happened.

One of the boy guards for the nobles raised a gun and pointed at Lelouch, whose eyes barely flickered with shock. Suzaku automatically froze with one thought running through his head, Lelouch! "Stupid school boys. I'm sorry to end you here, but if this loss were get out onto the news, I would be ruined you know. We'll just rearrange the pieces, and call me victor. Then out of anger, you attack me? Alright?" The noble said these words, but Suzaku tuned them out easily. Instead, he watching as Lelouch's cold blue eyes turned to observe him. Giving him the slightest nod, the other boy dropped down to the floor. That moment seemed to be in slow motion, as the man fired his gun. The shot missed badly and hit into the chair instead of Lelouch's eye. Suzaku pushed himself into the air as he quickly kicked the gun far away and pinned the nobleman on the ground.

One of the bodyguards grabbed him by the waist and tried to haul him off and being much bigger than himself, it was easy. In retaliation, Suzaku brought his elbow up and smashed it into the man's nose. A sickening crack and scream was heard and blood started to slowly pour out. Using this moment to gain his freedom, he twisted away and knocked the guy out by hitting him on the head. Though behind him, the other man ran towards him with his fist swinging. Suzaku easily moved out of the way and kick his feet out from under his large body. The guy stilled for a moment before he lunged back up at him. Suzaku was pushed onto his back and suddenly felt 300 pounds of weight on top of him. Only then did he have time to worry about where Lelouch was. Luckily for him, no harm had befallen his friend.

"Everyone freeze." The dangerous weapon was now under Lelouch's control. Holding it with one hand, he looked quite relaxed as he pointed the gun at the man was holding it moments before. "Attempting murder is illegal and is punishable by death, however mercy is one of qualities of a good leader. Do expect to lose your position as Duke by next week, but for now, I'll take the money and leave." Keeping it trained on the same person, Lelouch grabbed the award money on the otherside, checked it, took the amount that he brought as well, and signaled for Suzaku to follow him. Wasting not a second, he quickly flipped the man over and dashed after him. "Let's run." Lelouch mutter into his ear as he made a move towards the stairs. Of course, going down was much easier than going up. Though it was still a surprise that Lelouch managed to get all the way down the stairs without losing his breath and stopping.

It took him a couple minutes to process everything that happened, but after that, "LELOUCH! Are you insane? You could have gotten the both of us killed with your stupid gambling habit! What the hell were you thinking? It's not normal for a teenager to be gambling for money, and their lives! Weren't you afraid? Give me that gun!" Snatching the weapon from Lelouch, he took a couple long deep breaths. "Who the hell are you?!" It was impossible for Lelouch to be a regular scholarship student. "Normal people don't point guns, and normal teenagers don't gamble!" A couple people in the crowd turned to look at him, but quickly turned their heads away when a killer glare was given to them by Lelouch. He took another deep breath, and was about to speak again when Lelouch's hand covered his mouth.

"Look." The shorter man's eyes flickered to the a couple men in the crowd. "Stay out here and watch them, I'll be right back. Trust me." He didn't have a chance to reply or stop him because Lelouch slid away into the crowd the moment he finished whispering to him. Okay… This is officially one of the most confusing days ever. But he was a soldier. His job was to take orders. So he obeyed, Suzaku stood there and waited. In a matter of minutes, the two men that Lelouch said were following him had been arrested. Though it was strange, he could have swore that he had seen one the police officers before… His brain searched hard for an answer. The man was wearing a regular uniform, but had waverly blue hair. Lelouch returned moments later with two officers, a look of confusion crossed the boy's face when seeing that they were completely missing from the crowd before apologizing to the officers about his mistake. He watched as they walked away with a slight frown on their lips. "What happened? I thought I told to keep track of them."

"T-they were arrested. The strange part was that… I think I saw one of them before. On television… He had blue hair with amber eye..." Suzaku thought for a moment longer trying to remember more. "Oh. I know. That guy was with Princess Luluko vi Britannia. Jerry? Or was it.. Jeremiah…? What would such a high ranked soldier be here? Where those men extremely dangerous?" His eyes flickered over to Lelouch. A look of annoyance had crossed the boy's delicate face.

"I had to run to get those officers for no reason." Lelouch scoffed and started walking away again the case of money in hand.

* * *

That was too close. She didn't think that the noble would be so outright violent and in front of Suzaku especially. A miscalculation on her part. As for the the arrest, ten points to Suzaku for observation. That was the captain of her personal royal guard, Jeremiah Gottwald. She had called them urgently before getting the police as cover. Though sadly for the Japanese boy, he wasn't smart enough to put two and two together and discover that she was a girl. Oh well. Luluko walked off, knowing that Suzaku would follow her like the loyal person he was.

Soon enough, they arrived at a small Japanese shopping center. Luluko wanted Suzaku's loyalty, and what better way to gain the trust from him then to help his people? Opening the case, she swiftly took out a stack of bills. Luluko glanced around the grocery shops, trying to find eggs and other necessary food. Entering the first store she saw, Luluko grabbed a grocery basket and started drifting down the aisles. Even after a couple weeks, this still felt strange. She was so use to food being brought to her and served, instead of buying and cooking herself. Her eyes flickered back and forth between two types of bread before grabbing a random one. Luluko's way of randomly taking this and placing them in her basketed continued for the rest of the trip. "Say Suzaku… Would you like anything?" The guy had been walking around and putting up with her for hours now. He deserved something in return in addition to the dinner she promised him.

"No… The amount of money I earn from piloting is enough for me to live off of. Thank you for offering though." Forever being the polite one. She rolled her eyes and hummed in response. Oh well. It was up to her to decide what Suzaku could use. What in the world would a boy exercise freak want? Other than weights or other ridiculous training materials. Luluko finally decided on asking her siblings for advice later. After they would return, she would get the rest of the day off. Perfect time to get in touch with the others again. Yeah… She missed the back-stabbing Pendragon and of course, she was just so looking forward to talking to her amazing siblings again.

They walked around in the store for a couple more minutes looking for more items to purchase. Finding nothing else important, Luluko headed to the cash register to pay. She handed the women, probably the owner, an hundred dollar bill and smiled lightly. To her dismay, that only caused her to take a step back and revert eye contact. Did she do something wrong? It's not like she was going to attack her. Were she smiles really that frightening? The women started placing her things in plastic yellow bags, which Suzaku lifted, before handing the twenty dollars of change to her. "Keep it. Thank you for your service." Luluko mumbled and grabbed the last bag herself. Lost in thought about the recoiling of the owner, she let her pace fall behind by more than a couple steps. Suzaku was about five meters ahead by now.

"Lelouch! Keep up!" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The bag was heavy though. She was 100 percent sure that it was leaving red marks on her fair skin. Releasing a frustrated sigh, Luluko ignored the exhaustion pulling at her moved her feet forward a bit faster. Eventually, Suzaku had to slow his pace to match her's. There as an uncomfortable silence as the pair continued to walk.

**Hello :3**

**I have a schedule and plan for these chapters. By the way, this took place a couple weeks later than the first day. Some time skips will be happening and these are filler chapters with a purpose. Next chapter will be Luluko texting her siblings in a group chat and the one after that will deal with Gino's relationship to her.**

**Hopefully there is some humor in this and you do get a kick out of reading my and Sara-Saturday's story.**


End file.
